Yahoo Finance Is Qualys, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:QLYS) CEO Salary Justified?
In 2001 Philippe Courtot was appointed CEO of Qualys, Inc. (NASDAQ:QLYS). This report will, first, examine the CEO compensation levels in comparison to CEO compensation at companies of similar size. Next, we'll consider growth that the business demonstrates. And finally - as a second measure of performance - we will look at the returns shareholders have received over the last few years. This method should give us information to assess how appropriately the company pays the CEO.
Check out our latest analysis for Qualys
How Does Philippe Courtot's Compensation Compare With Similar Sized Companies?
According to our data, Qualys, Inc. has a market capitalization of US$3.2b, and pays its CEO total annual compensation worth US$9.1m. (This figure is for the year to December 2018). While this analysis focuses on total compensation, it's worth noting the salary is lower, valued at US$375k. We looked at a group of companies with market capitalizations from US$2.0b to US$6.4b, and the median CEO total compensation was US$5.1m.
Thus we can conclude that Philippe Courtot receives more in total compensation than the median of a group of companies in the same market, and of similar size to Qualys, Inc.. However, this doesn't necessarily mean the pay is too high. We can get a better idea of how generous the pay is by looking at the performance of the underlying business.
The graphic below shows how CEO compensation at Qualys has changed from year to year.
Is Qualys, Inc. Growing?
Qualys, Inc. has increased its earnings per share (EPS) by an average of 33% a year, over the last three years (using a line of best fit). In the last year, its revenue is up 17%.
This demonstrates that the company has been improving recently. A good result. It's also good to see decent revenue growth in the last year, suggesting the business is healthy and growing. It could be important to check this free visual depiction of what analysts expect for the future.
Has Qualys, Inc. Been A Good Investment?
Boasting a total shareholder return of 126% over three years, Qualys, Inc. has done well by shareholders. This strong performance might mean some shareholders don't mind if the CEO were to be paid more than is normal for a company of its size.
In Summary...
We compared the total CEO remuneration paid by Qualys, Inc., and compared it to remuneration at a group of similar sized companies. We found that it pays well over the median amount paid in the benchmark group.
Importantly, though, the company has impressed with its earnings per share growth, over three years. On top of that, in the same period, returns to shareholders have been great. Considering this fine result for shareholders, we daresay the CEO compensation might be apt. Whatever your view on compensation, you might want to check if insiders are buying or selling Qualys shares (free trial).
Arguably, business quality is much more important than CEO compensation levels. So check out this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt.
We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.
If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
